Church loses race to settle heat bill

Cold breaks water pipes before gas turned back on.

Cold breaks water pipes before gas turned back on.

SOUTH BEND -- Members of the Greater Mt. Calvary Missionary Baptist Church tearfully scanned their basement Tuesday night, wondering how they would ever have the Black History pageant. Drenched drywall bits littered the already soaked carpet as volunteers circled the church at 1047 Lincoln Way West with trash bags. Above them ceiling tiles were torn and dripping. "We're supposed to have 50 to 75 kids in here, the babies, singing on Sunday," church member Zamiki Chism said, shaking her head. Despite paying their gas bill in full after the heat was shut off last week, members say Northern Indiana Public Service Co. couldn't turn the heat back on until Tuesday. Plunging temperatures over the weekend caused pipes to break both upstairs and downstairs inside the church, filling much of the facility with 4 to 6 inches of water. "We told them we have a church; we begged them to come out," said Annette Dungey. But NIPSCO by policy had to wait until the next business day, which was Tuesday because Monday was a holiday. Officials say they've long had payment issues with the church and sent prior notices before the natural gas was turned off Feb. 13. The church was behind on paying for three months of NIPSCO bills -- a total of $2,529, said Tom Cuddy, spokesman for the company. If the church would have called NIPSCO well before the shut-off, it could have worked out a payment plan and kept the gas on, Cuddy said. But Dungey, church education minister, argues they never received a shut-off letter or the two warning letters NIPSCO reportedly sent. She says the church sent a check for $500 early last week, hoping to mitigate the fee, but it wasn't received until too late. Records indicate the church called NIPSCO on Feb. 15. They were told they also had to pay a $45 reconnect fee and a $95 deposit. The church's $500 went through on Feb. 16, then the church paid the rest of the bill Friday evening over the phone with a credit card. When Dungey opened the church early Tuesday, she discovered the broken pipes and overflowing water. The heat still wasn't on by Tuesday night as members worked to clean the damage. Chism, financial secretary for the church, acknowledges the group has had trouble in the past, paying their gas bill. The congregation has been inside the building for almost two years and is a small one, she explained, with about 30 adults and 50 children. The recent shift in a pastor and bill manager, along with the winter months and increasing gas charges, has made the financial burden heavier. The church had the same trouble in 2005. NIPSCO sent it 11 shut-off notices during the year, Cuddy said. The gas was shut off on Oct. 12 and reconnected the next day. Chism doesn't believe the church received that many notices, but admits about six warnings were sent last year, and two shut-offs actually occurred. Church members say they're doing their best to get back on their feet. For now, they're looking at options and assessing the water damage. They have insurance, said Pastor Earl Hairston, but it only covers contents inside the building. It's unclear if insurance used by the facility's owner will cover the rest, he said. The small church will likely be appealing to other congregations for help in holding the pageant this Sunday. "We haven't given up," Hairston said. "We trust God will open another door. We're going to come through this and be a lot stronger."Staff writer Joseph Dits: jdits@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6158 The church was behind on paying for three months of NIPSCO bills -- a total of $2,529, said Tom Cuddy, spokesman for the company. If the church would have called NIPSCO well before the shut-off, it could have worked out a payment plan and kept the gas on, Cuddy said. But Dungey, church education minister, argues they never received a shut-off letter or the two warning letters NIPSCO reportedly sent. She says the church sent a check for $500 early last week, hoping to mitigate the fee, but it wasn't received until too late. Records indicate the church called NIPSCO on Feb. 15. They were told they also had to pay a $45 reconnect fee and a $95 deposit. The church's $500 went through on Feb. 16, then the church paid the rest of the bill Friday evening over the phone with a credit card. When Dungey opened the church early Tuesday, she discovered the broken pipes and overflowing water. The heat still wasn't on by Tuesday night as members worked to clean the damage. Chism, financial secretary for the church, acknowledges the group has had trouble in the past, paying their gas bill. The congregation has been inside the building for almost two years and is a small one, she explained, with about 30 adults and 50 children. The recent shift in a pastor and bill manager, along with the winter months and increasing gas charges, has made the financial burden heavier. The church had the same trouble in 2005. NIPSCO sent it 11 shut-off notices during the year, Cuddy said. The gas was shut off on Oct. 12 and reconnected the next day. Chism doesn't believe the church received that many notices, but admits about six warnings were sent last year, and two shut-offs actually occurred. Church members say they're doing their best to get back on their feet. For now, they're looking at options and assessing the water damage. They have insurance, said Pastor Earl Hairston, but it only covers contents inside the building. It's unclear if insurance used by the facility's owner will cover the rest, he said. The small church will likely be appealing to other congregations for help in holding the pageant this Sunday. "We haven't given up," Hairston said. "We trust God will open another door. We're going to come through this and be a lot stronger." Staff writer Joseph Dits: jdits@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6158